Paintball marker accuracy

ABSTRACT

The accuracy of a paintball propelled through a paintball marker is improved by longitudinally injecting pressurized gas into the paintball marker&#39;s barrel and forcing the gas to follow a spiral path as it is injected into the barrel. This can be achieved by mounting a spiral member within the paintball marker&#39;s power tube nozzle, such that the spiral member extends and spirals longitudinally along the nozzle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure pertains to improvement in the accuracy of paintballspropelled through a paintball marker toward a target.

BACKGROUND

A paintball marker (sometimes referred to as a paintball gun) uses anexpanding gas, such as carbon dioxide or compressed air, to propel apaintball through the marker's barrel toward a target. A paintball is agenerally spherical capsule which typically contains a dye-impregnated,non-toxic, water-soluble liquid. The capsule is designed to rupture whenit impacts the target (or other object). When the capsule ruptures, thedye-impregnated liquid “marks” the paintball's point of impact.Paintball markers are used in the sport of paintball, in which players(who normally wear protective gear) compete to eliminate opponents byhitting them with paintballs.

Prior art paintball markers have relatively poor accuracy. For example,a paintball propelled through a prior art paintball marker may typicallypass anywhere through a circle having a diameter of about one metreafter the paintball has travelled about 20 metres.

One method of attempting to improve the accuracy of a paintball markeris to rifle the interior of the marker's barrel. A barrel is rifled bycutting helical longitudinally extending grooves inside the barrel. Whena projectile is propelled through a rifled barrel, the rifling imparts aspin to the projectile relative to the longitudinal axis of the barrel.Such spinning gyroscopically stabilizes the projectile, improving itsaerodynamic stability and accuracy. However, paintballs are relativelyfragile and may rupture prematurely inside a rifled barrel if thespinning paintball contacts the barrel's interior surface.

Another method of attempting to improve the accuracy of a paintballmarker is to curve a non-rifled barrel. Although this may reduceinstances of premature paintball rupture, the accuracy improvement hasbeen found to be relatively minor and to be confined within a relativelynarrow range of distance from the paintball marker.

This disclosure is directed to improved paintball marker accuracy overdistances approximating the full range through which a paintball may bepropelled by a paintball marker.

The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations relatedthereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Otherlimitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill inthe art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosedherein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

FIG. 1 is an oblique end view of a prior art paintball marker powertube.

FIG. 2 is an oblique end view of a spiral member mountable within aprior art paintball marker power tube.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned side elevation view showing the FIG. 2spiral member mounted in the FIG. 1 prior art paintball marker powertube.

FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned, partially fragmented, simplifiedschematic side elevation view showing the FIG. 3 spiral member and powertube installed in a paintball marker and showing different positionalstages of propulsion of a paintball through the barrel of the paintballmarker.

DESCRIPTION

Throughout the following description specific details are set forth inorder to provide a more thorough understanding to persons skilled in theart. However, well known elements may not have been shown or describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. Accordingly,the description and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative,rather than a restrictive, sense.

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art paintball marker power tube and/or bolt 10having a gas injection port 12 and a nozzle 14. As used herein, theexpression “power tube” is to be understood as referring to any one of apower tube, a bolt, or a combination of a power tube and a bolt. FIG. 2depicts a spiral member 16 which is sized and shaped for mounting withinnozzle 14, such that spiral member 16 extends and spirals longitudinallyalong nozzle 14 as shown in FIG. 3.

Various techniques can be used to mount spiral member 16 within nozzle14. For example, if power tube 10 and spiral member 16 are each formedof materials that can be joined by welding, then spiral member 16 can bewelded to power tube 10. Alternatively, spiral member 16 can be formedintegrally within power tube 10. As a further alternative, spiral member16 and power tube 10 can each be formed with mating interlockabletabs/slots or other suitable attachment mechanisms whereby spiral member16 can be mounted within nozzle 14 and retained in place such thatrepeated discharge of pressurized gas through nozzle 14 will notdislodge spiral member 16 from nozzle 14.

FIG. 4 depicts a paintball marker 20 having a magazine 22 containing aplurality of paintballs 24, a barrel 26, a handle 28 and a pressurizedgas injection line 30. Power tube 10, with spiral member 16 mountedwithin nozzle 14 as aforesaid, is installed as shown in the breechsection of paintball marker 20 and one end of pressurized gas injectionline 30 is coupled to power tube 10's gas injection port 12. A source ofpressurized gas (not shown) is coupled to the opposite end ofpressurized gas injection line 30.

Upon activation of paintball marker 20's trigger mechanism (not shown)pressurized gas is injected into power tube 10 through pressurized gasinjection line 30. Pressurized gas injected into power tube 10 is forcedlongitudinally through nozzle 14 into barrel 26. As the pressurized gasflows through nozzle 14, the gas is forced to follow a spiral pathdefined by spiral element 16's spiral shape, thus imparting a spirallingdirectional component to the gas in addition to its longitudinaldirectional component, as indicated in FIG. 4 by arrows 32. Uponencountering a paintball 34 released from magazine 22 into barrel 26,the spirally and longitudinally moving gas propels paintball 34longitudinally through barrel 26 and also imparts spin to paintball 34.FIG. 4 depicts paintball 34 at three different longitudinally separatedpositions during propulsion of paintball 34 through barrel 26. Thecombined effect of the spirally and longitudinally moving gas is topropel paintball 34 through barrel 26 such that paintball 34 follows amore accurate trajectory in comparison to paintballs propelled by priorart paintball markers.

A paintball propelled through a paintball marker incorporating spiralmember 16 may typically pass anywhere through a circle having a diameterof about 30 centimetres after the paintball has travelled about 20metres. Persons skilled in the art will however understand that thislevel of improved accuracy will not necessarily be attained for everypaintball propelled through the paintball marker, for example havingregard to the variable ballistics characteristics of typical paintballs.

Spiral member 16 may be formed of aluminum, stainless steel, highdensity plastic, or other suitable material that will facilitateattachment, formation or mounting of spiral member 16 as aforesaid. Thematerial used to form spiral member 16 should be such that spiral member16 will not be significantly deformed during normal operation of thepaintball marker.

In general, the length and width of spiral member 16 will depend on thelength and width of power tube 10. For example, spiral member 16 mayhave to be lengthened and/or widened in cross-section to conform to theinternal dimensions of a longer and/or wider power tube. Conversely,spiral member 16 may have to be shortened and/or narrowed incross-section to conform to the internal dimensions of a shorter and/ornarrower power tube.

It has been found sufficient for spiral member 16 to be formed such thatit includes a single 360° spiral along its length, although other spiralformations are acceptable. For example, the number of whole or partialspirals along the length of spiral member 16 may vary depending on thelength of power tube 10 and also depending on the length of barrel 26.

Some trial and error experimentation may be required in order todetermine an appropriate length, width and/or spiral configuration forspiral member 16, in relation to a particular power tube, barrel and/orpaintball marker. Such experimentation can be conducted by providing aplurality of different spiral members, each having different length,width and spiral configuration characteristics, and each beingseparately attachable or mountable within the particular power tube,etc. With each such spiral member attached or mounted within the powertube, a suitable number of paintballs are propelled through thepaintball marker, and a record is made of the accuracy achieved by eachsuch spiral member. Comparison of such records may reveal that one (or arelatively small number) of the plurality of different spiral membersachieves the greatest accuracy improvement in relation to a particularpower tube, barrel and/or paintball marker.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussedabove, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims and claims hereafterintroduced are interpreted to include all such modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their truespirit and scope.

1. A power tube for a paintball marker, the power tube comprising aspiral member mounted to extend and spiral longitudinally within anozzle of the power tube.
 2. A paintball marker having a power tube, thepower tube comprising a spiral member mounted to extend and spirallongitudinally along a nozzle of the power tube.
 3. A spiral membermountable within a paintball marker power tube, the spiral member sizedand shaped to extend and spiral longitudinally along a nozzle of thepower tube when the spiral member is mounted within the power tube.
 4. Amethod of improving the accuracy of a paintball propelled through apaintball marker, the method comprising: longitudinally injectingpressurized gas into a barrel of the paintball marker; and forcing thegas to follow a spiral path as the gas is injected into the barrel ofthe paintball marker.